MIAMI, FL — Team USA advanced to the 2026 World Baseball Classic championship game Saturday night, defeating the Dominican Republic, 2–1, in a tightly contested semifinal at loanDepot Park in front of a raucous crowd dominated by Dominican fans.
The matchup featured two of the tournament favorites and some of the biggest stars in baseball and some potential future Cooperstown Hall of Famers, but in the end, it was a pair of solo home runs and a dominant bullpen performance that propelled the United States to victory.
The Dominican Republic struck first in the second inning when 22-year-old slugger Junior Caminero turned on a fastball from Paul Skenes and sent it over the wall for a solo home run, giving the Dominicans an early 1–0 lead.
Luis Severino looked sharp early for the Dominican Republic, overpowering the American lineup with a fastball that reached 98.8 mph and a sweeping breaking ball that generated several strikeouts. The right-hander escaped a first-inning jam after walking Aaron Judge and hitting Kyle Schwarber and continued to keep the United States off balance through the first few innings.
The Americans finally broke through in the fourth inning. Baltimore Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson, who entered the game with strong career numbers against Severino, tied the game with a solo home run to right field.
One inning later, Team USA grabbed the lead.
Roman Anthony, the 21-year-old outfielder who joined the roster as an injury replacement, delivered a massive swing of his own, launching a solo home run to put the United States ahead 2–1.
Two batters before Anthony’s solo-blast, Julio Rodríguez made an incredible catch at the centerfield wall to rob Judge of a potential homer or at least extra bases.
“Hit it to a guy like J-Rod, who’s the best center fielder in the game, and he’s gonna make exciting plays like that in big moments, and he did,” Judge said. “I wasn’t too happy when he caught it, but just a tip of the cap to him.”
Though USA’s captain did his part as well, manning right field with his glove while waiting for base-runners to test Judge’s arm, which is the mistake Fernando Tatís Jr. made in the top of the third inning, attempting to go first to third on a Ketel Marte single.
From there, after the two-run fourth inning for USA, the game turned into a bullpen duel. USA’s manager Mark DeRosa leaned on a deep relief corps that included—Tyler Rogers, Griffin Jax, David Bednar and Garrett Whitlock—each delivering key outs against a Dominican lineup loaded with stars such as Juan Soto, Tatis Jr., and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Despite constant traffic on the bases, the Dominican offense was unable to deliver a timely hit.
“We had good at bats, but this is the game,” Dominican manager Albert Pujols said afterward. “They had two good swings, two homers, and that was the difference.”
The Dominican bullpen was equally impressive, keeping the deficit at one run and giving their offense a chance to rally in the ninth inning.
The game ended in dramatic and controversial fashion. With two outs and the tying run on third base, USA flame-throwing closer Mason Miller faced Geraldo Perdomo in a full-count situation. Miller fired a fastball that appeared below the strike zone, but the pitch was called strike three by home plate umpire Cory Blaser, ending the game and sending the United States to the championship round.
Dominican Republic’s manager Albert Pujols declined to focus on the controversial strike three call in the postgame press conference.
“I’m disappointed about the way the game ends, but I’m not going to criticize that,” Pujols said. “It was a huge game between two huge teams, and I’m proud of the guys that represented our country.”
DeRosa praised his pitching staff for navigating one of the most dangerous lineups in international baseball.
“That was high-level baseball at its finest,” he said. “Our bullpen coming in and doing what they did against that lineup was incredible.”
With the victory, the United States advances to the 2026 World Baseball Classic final and will face the winner of Italy and Venezuela, with their semifinal round matchup set to be played Monday night in Miami.
With Sunday night’s win against Dominican Republic, Team USA advanced to its third consecutive World Baseball Classic championship, winning the final in 2017 vs. Puerto Rico and losing in 2023 vs. Japan – Image Credit: World Baseball Classic/Major League Baseball
The Dominican Republic, widely considered one of the tournament favorites, joins Japan as another powerhouse eliminated before Tuesday’s championship game.
Despite the heartbreaking finish, Pujols emphasized pride in his team’s effort.
“Our country should feel proud. We represented our homeland and left our mark.”
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